Paul Cochran, Budget Center Director for the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Central Portfolios
* Central includes Advancement and Community Relations, Finance, President, EVP, Provost,TII, TSS, TTS
Before joining Tufts last summer, Paul managed the financials of Cisco Systems’ global video software solution portfolio of projects. Before that, he was the director of Finance, Planning and Analysis (FP&A) at Sun Life Financial Individual Life Division, where he managed profit and losses (P&Ls) for 22 products and oversaw the integration of a comprehensive cost-allocation tool. He also spent 10 years at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as the director of FP&A.
Why were you interested in joining Tufts and the Budget Center team?
From everything I read about the position and TEAM, what came through is the excellent planning in place. Tufts is doing something a lot of companies have done by consolidating administrative work. I like the fact they’re making this bold jump with a good goal and what appears to be good accountability. I think it’s exciting to be in on the ground floor of this effort.
Six months after the Budget Center launch, what do you believe is going well?
We have a better handle on the budget than the university has had previously. We have more detail. We are developing a solid understanding of all of the university’s businesses. All of these things will be a great jumping off point for the coming year.
Is there anything you wish was going better?
In terms of opportunities for improvement, we need to refine the way we communicate with our program managers and how our systems support them. We need to lay out a calendar of forecasts so everyone has a good understanding of when certain things will happen. And we need to establish turnaround times acceptable to both parties. That will allow for a cleaner process.
You have a large and diverse portfolio. How do you manage the workload?
I give a lot of kudos to my team. They’ve worked very hard. Most of the analysts on my team are new to Tufts and new to higher ed. We’ve been working very well together. Through experience and planning, this will become a more streamlined process.
Has Tufts provided resources to help you and your team come up to speed?
The people I’ve been in contact with, within Finance, the program managers and within the divisions and Fletcher School, have been amazing. It’s such a great group of people to work with. They make working here very enjoyable and the long hours worthwhile.
Is there anything you want people to know about the Budget Center?
While the Budget Center is a new group, we understand we’re not the only ones affected by this initiative. Many other groups at Tufts have been affected by changes in responsibilities. We understand the program manager role is new to the university and that they’re going through a process of evolving. Our goal over next 6-12 months is evolve with them.